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Centaurs
Centaurs are six-limbed creatures, half human and half horse. They have the body of a horse or other equine creature, but from the withers up (where a head would normally be) the body continues vertically into a humanoid torso from the hips, with a pair of fully developed arms. Though their facial and upper torso features may closely resemble those of humanoid races, there are still clear hints of their non-humanoid descent. A thin, velveteen layer of fur covers most of their upper torso aside from their face and belly, they have pointed and mobile ears, and their noses slightly resemble snubbed snouts. Physicality Centaurs have very large and complex bodies, requiring a high degree of maintenance on their behalf. First and foremost, their body demands 4 times the normal food consumption, and twice the normal water consumption, of a human. They also have a high oxygen demand, and they breathe heavier than most horses, but their high lung capacity allows them to hold their breath for roughly the same duration as most humanoids. Centaurs are born in much the same way as a horse, and their bodies mature rapidly. They reach physical maturity by the age of three, but are considered to be "adults" only after proving themselves in a number of different regards, including service to the group, completing training or education provided by the herd, undergoing a trial of maturity, combat, or survival, and other milestones set by the individual herd. Centaurs grow hair in a thick mane starting at the top of the head and running down their spine to the base of their upper torso. They also grow long, thick tails. How they care for, trim, or tie their hair is one of the few genuine elements of centaur fashion. Insulting their hair in any regard is highly offensive. The upper torso contains the impressively large lungs, a huge heart (Located roughly where a human's liver would be, though closer to medial), and primary stomach, as well as a number of periphery organs. The lower torso contains the remaining digestive system and organs. Their digestive system is quite long and has four separate stomachs in a series. Each section of the digestive system is specialized to optimize extraction of certain types of chemicals. As a result, they are fully omnivorous. As a consequence however, they are extremely sensitive to ingested poisons, particularly alcohol. Even a small amount of alcohol can fully inebriate an adult centaur in moments. Many would imagine centaurs to be awkward and stiff due to their unusual anatomy, though this could not be farther from the truth. Most centaurs are flexible enough that they can touch every part of their body with their hands, and some can even touch their face to their rump or back heels. Centaurs are known for their graceful, deliberate movement, which contrasts against the halting, nervous movements of other hoofed creatures such as horses. Culture Nomadic hunter-gatherers, centaurs organize themselves into migratory herds, and in general keep to themselves. Centaur migrations are slow things, sometimes taking multiple generations to complete. Conflict between herds is rare, as crossing paths is usually a predictable and beneficial event- however, some herds have lingering animosity from long past conflicts. Centaurs reach maturity very young, but are not considered adults until they can prove themselves ready. Different herds, each with varying values, have different criteria for this. Most revolve around passing several natural milestones or tests, others focus on the individual completing education or apprenticeship to become a useful member of the herd, and a few more aggressive herds even have trials by combat or survival. Though few centaurs wear much clothing at all, most do adorn themselves with practical articles, such as belts, or warm coverings in cold weather. As a rule, they wear just enough to be modest among their own society. Those few who join a settled culture usually wear some degree of clothing simply for the purposes of fitting in or reducing the reactions of others. When a migration is on pause, centaurs construct tent-like dwellings using animal skins and wooden staves, large enough to house two families. Among settled people, especially humans, centaurs often find themselves ostracized. Most dwellings are not built to accommodate their oddly shaped bodies, and their hooves damage floors and track mud. As such, there are many businesses and estates which will flatly deny access to centaurs when faced with one. Worse, other races, particularly humans, tend to gawk and stereotype centaurs. Part of this is due to their nudity, and can be remedied by dressing oneself, though at some expense, as few tailors study the art of clothing a horse and man as one. Still though, their unusual appearance and strange customs make it difficult for them to homogenize. Centaur Traits All centaur characters share these traits with one another. * Ability Score Increase. '' Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1. * ''Age. Centaurs experience rapid maturity, reaching physical maturity at age 15, but they have expansive life spans and can live up to 300 years. * Alignment. Prone to maintaining ancient patterns and traditions while simultaneously defying formal societal order, centaurs tend toward neutrality in all regards. * Size. Most centaurs stand between 6 and 9 feet tall, and their horse bodies are 5.5 to 7 feet long and about 5 feet tall or less at the withers. Your size is Large. * Speed. Your base walking speed is 50 feet. * Tauroid Build. '' Even though your size is Large, your upper, humanoid torso is still of similar scale to that of other humanoid races. You use equipment and wield weapons as if you were a Medium-sized creature. You have three times the carrying capacity of a Medium creature, and you require four times as much food and water as a Medium creature would. * ''Hooves. You are never unarmed. Your hooves are a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you make an unarmed strike with your hooves, the damage die for your unarmed strike is a d4. * Nomadic Heritage. By the time a centaur reaches adulthood, they have become experts at navigating the lands that they are most familiar with. Choose one of the following environments: desert, forest, grassland, mountains, or swamp. You ignore non-magical difficult terrain in your chosen environment, and have advantage on Nature checks related to knowledge of your chosen environment. * Sage of the Wild. ''You gain proficiency in the Survival skill. * ''Trample. When you use your action to take the Dash action on your turn, you may make one attack with your hooves as a bonus action. * Ungainly. You cannot make use of mounts. * Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Centaur, and Sylvan. Category:Races